Iran Escalates Tanker Attacks in Strait of Hormuz, Threatening Persian Gulf Oil Rebound

Iran has intensified maritime strikes against commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz, targeting nearly 20 merchant vessels—predominantly crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers—over the past month in the world's most critical energy chokepoint.
Maritime security agencies, including the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), reported a wave of projectile strikes, drone incursions, and verbal interdictions by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanding commercial vessels to turn back or face direct attack. The escalation threatens a fragile recovery in Persian Gulf crude flows, which had been rebounding toward 10.3 million barrels per day according to Kpler tracking data—still roughly 23% below pre-conflict volumes of 13.5 million bpd.
The heightened threat environment has driven maritime freight rates and war-risk insurance premiums higher while forcing operators to rely on naval escort corridors, pipeline diversions, and offshore ship-to-ship shuttle transfers off the coast of Oman to maintain outward shipments.